Washington, DC – GOPAC Chairman Frank Donatelli shared the following statement today in reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act:

“The Supreme Court’s decision today to uphold the Obamacare individual mandate under Congress’s taxing power is extremely disappointing. President Obama must now explain to the American people why, in this economy, Americans need another new tax. Republicans must continue to call for full repeal of the law and offer Americans a lower-cost, higher-quality, market-oriented solution that empowers individuals and not the federal government when it comes to making decisions about our health.

“One bright spot is that today’s ruling limits the federal government’s ‘gun to the head’ to states by forcing them to expand Medicaid coverage under penalty of losing all of their existing Medicaid funds. States are now not required to follow the federal government’s road to fiscal ruin and can refuse to expand their coverage programs. Congress should take this opportunity to fundamentally reform Medicaid by creating a block grant program that can be used by governors to fashion their own systems to provide medical services to the poor.

“For decades, the Left has been looking to Washington, D.C. to come up with a single solution to healthcare. If we are serious about improving healthcare, we must look to the states to find innovative solutions to many of the problems of our current system. Governors and state legislators must have the authority to design programs that work in their individual states, not a one-size-fits-all solution dictated by Washington that doesn’t address citizens’ needs.

“Republican governors and state legislators, like Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Florida Governor Rick Scott, and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, have already taken the lead on devising their own healthcare reforms that provide better service at lower cost to meet the needs of their citizens.

“Despite today’s ruling, it will be our state leaders, not Obamacare bureaucrats, who work together with citizens and private industry innovators to lead the real revolution in 21st century healthcare reform. Today we should have a renewed sense of purpose to call for the repeal of Obamacare and at the same time empower our states with the ability to create the change we need.

“GOPAC is committed to working with state-level candidates and legislators in this election to ensure that Republicans are offering market-oriented solutions to healthcare reform that will improve health at lower cost and with increased choice.”

Founded in 1978, GOPAC is dedicated to educating and electing the next generation of Republican leaders.